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Biology 3210: Molecular Biology: Tips for choosing a Database

A class guide for Biology 3210, Molecular Biology.

Get to Know your Database

When you are deciding upon a database, it is good to ask the following questions:

  1. what is in this database? (Think about the subject focus, the literature being indexed, etc.)
  2. who is the producer or publisher of the database?  (Is this a reputable source?)
  3. why is this the best database for my purpose?

Choose a database suitable for what you are trying accomplish or for the topic you are researching.  Databases can be:

  1. for a specfic purpose (e.g., Web of Science for cited reference searching, SciFinder for structure or reaction searching)
  2. range from the specific (e.g., Biosis Citation Index) to the general (e.g., Google Scholar)
  3. be limited in the period of their coverage, either when they start or how current they are (e.g., JSTOR)
  4. relevant or not to your research (e.g., PubMed for life sciences research; SciFinder for chemistry research).

NO single database is perfect.  If you are in doubt about which database to use, ask for advice from the Library Services Desk.

 

 

Indexes; Indexes and Abstracts; Indexes, Abstracts, and Fulltext

Literature indexes or literature databases (they are the same thing) provide pointers to literature on your topic regardless of the location of that literature.  They contain citations to the literature.

  • Some indexes may include only the citation (i.e., no abstract, no full text).  Thankfully, these are increasingly rare
  • Some Indexes may include a citation and an abstract.  (Remember the title and the abstract are the first pieces of information used to determine whether to invest the time to read further in the article.)
  • Some indexes may include the citation, abstract and a link to full-text.

Focus on the quality and relevance of the database relative to your needs.  Do NOT focus on whether it has full-text or not.  If you access a database through the Library's homepage, you will see the FIND FULL TEXT button ... which tells you "where in the universe of the University of Lethbridge" your article is located whether it is in print, microform, electronic in a different database, or that you need to request it through interlibrary loan.

 

NOTE:  SciFinder uses its own button "Get Full Text" which connects to the same system to find where a particular journal article is located within the resources of the University of Lethbridge Library.